Miscalculated
by Ms.K216
Summary: Ladybug is lucky, there's no doubt about that... but what if she was unlucky just one time? What would have happened if she'd miscalculated where she needed to place the chains in order for Copycat's Cataclysm to free Cat Noir and it landed on her instead? Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this idea came from talking to other fans on Instagram. It's sort of out of my comfort zone a little bit, but I'm going to see what happens. This is based off of the episode 'Copycat'.**

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 **Cat Noir/Adrien POV:**

"If you don't believe I'm the real Cat Noir, ask him about our love for each other." I suggested to Ladybug with a smile. I wasn't especially worried about her taking my ring, she'd know right away once Plagg came out of the ring instead of an akuma. Keeping our identities a secret meant too much to her for me not to try and stop her though.

"Uh…" Ladybug looked at me as if I were crazy, but I knew one thing I could say to get her to believe me.

"Have I ever lied to you Bugaboo?" I asked, winking at her. She looked up at Copycat as soon as she heard the nickname. I had been hoping she remembered me calling her that name earlier. I watched as she stepped over me, bringing her face inches from Copycat's. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as she tapped his nose with her finger, teasing him. Laying there, I wished that she and I _had_ made a secret promise regarding our love for one another. Lucky for me, Copycat believed we had which automatically labeled him as the fake.

"I love you Ladybug!" Copycat shouted angrily, grabbing me by my shoulders and forcing me to sit up. "I'm way better than this mangy alley cat!"

"Sorry, but liars are losers. Cat Noir may annoy me to pieces but he's never lied to me." Ladybug told my Copycat with a small smile. I took advantage of the distraction my partner provided and kicked the akumatized version of myself across the room easily. I watched as he clenched his fists, his anger seeming to grow all of a sudden.

"If I can't have you, then nobody will!" He growled. "Cataclysm!" Copycat yelled, grinning when the special power filled his hand.

"Let's wrap this up!" I heard Ladybug yell as she threw her yoyo up looking for a Lucky Charm. I wanted to laugh as I thought of how her words could have been twisted into a pun, but I refrained when I saw a spoon fall into her hands. Copycat grinned menacingly at her, he didn't think a spoon could do much to stop him and I had to agree with him on this one. Despite the chains I dropped into a fighting stance, ready to protect the girl I loved as best I could under the circumstances. I would always try to protect her, no matter how bad things got.

"Ha!" Copycat yelled, swiping his hand forward as he lunged towards me and Ladybug. My heart leapt out of my chest as Ladybug grabbed at one of my chains and jumped in front of me. I'd seen the damage my Cataclysms could do on inanimate objects… I wasn't exactly excited to see what affect they would have on a living person, much less when that person happened to be the love of my life.

"My Lady! No!" I shouted. Time seemed to slow down as I watched the Cataclysm miss the chain by an inch or two and land on my partner's chest instead. Instantly the color drained from her face and she swayed dizzily. I frowned and caught her as she fell into me, her transformation running out in the process. I knew if she made it out of this she would be upset about losing her secret, so I did my best not to let Copycat see her face as I lowered the both of us to the ground and cradled her against me. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized she was bleeding pretty badly.

"Ladybug…" Copycat whispered, standing totally still as he looked down at us.

"You need to go get help!" I told him, my voice breaking a little as tears started to form in my eyes. "Don't just stand there!" I screamed, ignoring my ring as another pad disappeared. Copycat stood there with a dumb look on his face, watching me.

"She loves you…" He whispered.

"Excuse me?" My eyebrows raised in shock at his words. Of course Ladybug didn't love me… she'd told me countless times she had a crush on some kid from school.

"She took the hit for you…" Copycat ran a hand through his hair, he seemed to be at war with his own thoughts. I watched as he shook his head and crossed the room, digging around in a drawer for a moment before coming back over to me. "No." He muttered.

"No what?" I asked, confused. He didn't answer me right away, he grabbed my wrist instead. I balled my hand into a fist so he'd at least have to work to get my ring from me.

"No... I won't take your Miraculouses." Copycat told me, releasing me from my chains after another minute. "I love her…" He paused, studying the back of the unconscious girl's head. "… but, it's obvious her heart is yours." Copycat sighed. "I'll bring that painting back to the museum and explain this to the police, just… take care of Ladybug."

"I will." I promised as I brought myself to my feet and scooped my partner up carefully. I didn't care enough to look at my ring to see how much time I had left, I just ran. I didn't care about anything but getting the broken girl in my arms to the hospital before it was too late. I didn't stop running until we were surrounded by a team of emergency room doctors in the hospital.

"Cat Noir what happened?" One of the doctors asked as another took the girl from me and laid her on a gurney.

"She stepped in front of a Cataclysm." I told them numbly as the horrific memory played in my mind. "She was trying to protect me." I realized, thinking back to what Copycat had said about Ladybug's affections for me.

"Protect you?" The doctor asked. I frowned, realizing that I'd said too much. I needed some time to think about everything that had just happened before all the impossible questions started.

"I can't talk now…" My ring chimed again as if proving my point, I was down to my last pad which meant I only had seconds left as Cat Noir. "I'll be back soon." I told them, backing away from them. "Please just…" My breath caught then and my tears finally spilled over. "Please save Marinette." I whispered before turning and running out the door.

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 **A/N: New chapter soon. I don't know how long this will be, maybe a few chapters? What do you think? Reviews are welcome! Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Cat Noir/Adrien's POV:**

"You okay?" Plagg asked after an hour had passed and I hadn't said anything to him. I was too busy thinking about Ladybug... about Marinette. I'd played the scene of Ladybug revealing her identity to me a thousand different ways in my head, but I'd never imagined it would happen like this.

"I never want to use a Cataclysm again." I sighed, picking at a blade of grass. Plagg sighed softly, making me feel bad about my words. "I... I just don't want to see anybody else get hurt like Ladybug did."

"Adrien, that wasn't your fault." The kwami tried, but I shook my head, looking around so I wouldn't have to see the look on his face. The hospital garden was nice. There were brilliantly colored flowers and a small duck pond for the patients and visitors to come out and sit beside. I frowned sadly as I thought of how much the place reminded me of the endearingly clumsy girl from school who'd managed to steal my heart from behind her mask. Thinking about her now made me realize that she'd managed to keep it even without her spots.

"How long have you known who she was?" I asked, finally looking at Plagg.

"I've known from the beginning. I could sense Tikki whenever Marinette was around." Plagg looked at me apologetically. "I would have told you, but it's against the rules for a kwami to reveal a hero's identity."

"I understand." I sighed, picking at another blade of grass. Plagg had never really been big on rules, so I was slightly annoyed he'd chosen to follow this one specifically.

"It's really not that hard to see the difference between the two of them anyway." Plagg smirked at me then. "Besides, now you can give up your silly crush on Ladybug and get on with your life." I thought about it for a second and stood up.

"No, Plagg... I still love her." I decided, suddenly overwhelmed by the need to see Marinette and find out if she was okay. "Plagg, Claws Out!" I yelled, letting myself transform before going back into the hospital.

"Cat Noir? What brings you here?" The woman at the information desk asked when she saw me come through the door. I smiled politely and went over to her desk.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine... Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" I waited as patiently as I could while she typed the name into her computer and clicked a few things.

"Marinette should just be getting transported to her room now." The woman smiled at me. "I guess she's getting a little bit of extra attention because she knows you."

"So you have her room number?" I asked, ignoring her last comment. I hated when people treated me any differently because I was a superhero. I didn't have it any easier as Adrien either because of all the modeling I did to keep my father happy.

"She's on the fourth floor... room 419." The receptionist was about to open her mouth to say something else, but I thanked her for her help quickly and hurried to the stairs. Finding Marinette's room wasn't hard once I got to the correct floor.

"Marinette?" I asked softly as I knocked on the door.

"She's sleeping." A nurse called to me from her computer station, she wasn't really paying attention to me as she spoke. "You can go in if you'd like to though." She told me, still typing away on the keyboard. I nodded and pushed the door open, closing it softly behind me.

"Marinette..." I frowned slightly as I lowered myself into the chair by her bedside. There was an IV in her arm and her chest and abdomen were heavily bandaged with thick pieces of gauze. "It should have been me." I whispered, slipping my hand into hers, careful not to disturb the clip on her finger that was keeping track of her oxygen levels. "This is all my fault." I told her, burying my face in the sheet on the edge of the mattress as tears threatened to spill over.

"Hmmm..." I felt Marinette's fingers tighten the slightest bit around my hand and I lifted my head a little.

"My Lady?" I asked, scooting closer to her. "I'm here, you're going to be okay."

"Kitty Cat?" She asked, still not opening her eyes. She still seemed half asleep, but that could have been because of the pain killers they'd put her on... even still I couldn't help but smile at the pet name.

"Yeah, it's me." I answered softly, rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb. I watched as Marinette slowly opened her eyes, frowning when she found herself staring at an unfamiliar white ceiling.

"Where am I?" She asked, trying to sit up. She cringed and grabbed at her stomach, clearly in pain as she laid back down and scanned the room.

"You're at the hospital, Marinette." I whispered. I froze when her eyes landed on me and she realized what was happening.

"Cat Noir?" She squeaked out, her eyes shining as they filled with tears. I held my breath, waiting for whatever came next. "Did you just call me..." She trailed off, a tear rolling down her face and landing on the mattress.

"Oh... Umm... Yeah..." I rubbed the back of my head with my free hand, Marinette was gripping my other one tightly. "Your transformation ran out as soon as Copycat got you with his Cataclysm."

"But..." More tears started to flow. I pursed my lips and covered her hand with both of mine. I hated seeing her like this, now I _really_ felt bad about what had happened. All of this because I was jealous of Theo.

"He didn't see your face..." I told her, hoping it would help to calm her down. "Nobody knows your secret except for me and you, Cat's Honor." I paused for a minute, watching her reaction. "I promise you that this secret is safe with me. We're partners, I would never betray you."

"But..." Marinette's lip trembled as she cried. I knew all this stress couldn't be good for her at the moment. Slowly, I stood up.

"Maybe I made a mistake coming in here." I admitted, looking down at the floor. "I just... I had to know you were going to be okay." I whispered, moving to pull my hand away so I could go. Marinette tightened her grip on me.

"Please don't go." She whispered, looking up at me with a hint of panic in her perfect blue eyes. I never broke eye contact as I lowered myself back down into the chair, I was trying to read her mind, but of course I had no clue as to what her thoughts were.

"Whatever you want, Princess." I smiled a tiny bit at her. "I'm right here, I'm not going to go anywhere unless you ask me to."

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I really hope you like the story so far, I know I do. If you want to totally make my day I'd love to see a review! New chapter soon!**

 **PS: Please forgive me for any typos... It's 4am and I wrote this on my phone in the notes app haha.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Cat Noir/Adrien's POV:**

"Marinette, you really should try to rest a little bit." I suggested as I watched her restlessly fidget in the bed. She sighed and looked over at me. Her eyes held a million questions, but I'd already told her the basic details of what had put her in the hospital in the first place.

"I don't want to rest." She sighed, picking at the pale pink nail polish she was wearing. "I can't.

"Why can't you?" I asked, wondering if it had something to do with me being here. "Do you want me to go so you can take a nap?" Marinette looked up at me then.

"Kitty, I don't want you to go." The girl frowned then. "I can't sleep because I'm worried about Tikki."

"Tikki is your kwami right?" I thought I remembered Plagg talking about her when he was telling me he'd already known Marinette was the girl behind Ladybug's mask.

"Yeah… Tikki is my kwami." Marinette sighed softly, blinking away tears as she thought of her tiny friend. I frowned, I didn't like seeing her so upset.

"Is Tikki as lazy as my kwami, Plagg? I have to bribe him with Camembert a lot of times just to get him to transform me." I laughed a little when I saw the expression that crossed the girl's face.

"You have to bribe him with cheese?" She looked shocked by the very idea of it. "I never have to bribe Tikki." A smile crossed Marinette's face as she went on to describe her kwami to me. "Tikki is really sweet. She always gives me the best advice and makes sure I'm doing the right thing. She's like my best friend…" Slowly Marinette's smile faded again and a look of sadness replaced it. "I couldn't stand the thought of losing her."

"Well then I'm just going to have to help you find her My Lady." I stood up then, smiling down at her. "I want you to stay here and rest."

"But, Cat Noir are you sure you can-" She started to question me, but I put a finger to her lips to shush her.

"I can do this." I grinned at her. "I'm absolutely _paw_ sitive." I held back a laugh as Marinette groaned and pointed to the door.

"Get out." She shook her head. "And take your stupid puns with you."

"As you wish Princess." I smiled and crossed the room, stopping in the doorway. "Oh, and just in case you didn't already figure it out on your own, I don't feel any differently about you just because I know your secret. I still love you with all my heart." I didn't give her a chance to respond before I left the room and made my way to the stairwell where I transformed back into Adrien so Plagg could have time to rest.

"Oh Princess, I love you soooo much!" Plagg teased, mocking me in a voice that had no resemblance to my own. I sighed, I had expected him to make some stupid comment about what had happened, but I still hoped he would just leave it alone.

"Haha, so funny." I rolled my eyes and placed the little kwami in my shirt pocket so we could start moving.

"So what's the plan?" Plagg asked once we got outside.

"We're going back to Theo's workshop to see if Tikki is there." I told him as we walked down the street. Plagg sighed. "What?" I asked, knowing I was ultimately going to regret asking.

"So, just to be clear… the plan doesn't involve cheese?"

"Plagg!" I started to yell at him, but then I looked down at him and realized how lucky I was to actually have him in the first place. Marinette was worried sick over not knowing where her kwami was and here I was yelling at mine because he wanted a little bit of Camembert. "Actually, yeah… we can get you some Camembert."

"Really?" Plagg smiled a bit. "No lecture about being greedy or lazy this time?"

"Nope. No lecture." I answered as I walked into one of the many stores that occupied the street. I made sure to keep Plagg hidden as I made my way through the maze of different aisles until I found the cheese and picked up a few pieces of the best Camembert they had and walked back to the registers.

"Will that be all?" The woman at the register asked, smiling politely once she rang up the cheese and put it in a small paper bag for me.

"That's all." I smiled back, paying her for the cheese before I walked out of the store and took a piece out for Plagg. "Here…" I discreetly passed the Camembert to him as I kept walking in the direction of Theo's shop.

"Thanks Adrien!" Plagg mumbled, his mouth full of cheese.

"You're welcome…" I answered slowly, a little surprised by his use of manners.

"Time to transform?" He asked when he peeked out of my pocket and saw that we were finally outside of the workshop. I shook my head.

"Adrien can handle this… Besides, you'll be able to sense where Tikki is if she's here."

"Right." Plagg agreed, letting himself in through a window that was cracked open on the second floor. I waited outside for a minute before Plagg reappeared, coming out of the side door. "All clear, you coming?"

"Yeah." I hurried to the door, checking to make sure nobody saw me as I snuck inside. The workshop was still a mess from earlier, shattered art projects, pens, and pencils littered the ground. I knew if I went into the back room where I'd been chained up earlier that I would most likely find a pool of Marinette's blood on the ground as well. "Plagg, anything?" I asked, hoping to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"I think so…" My kwami answered, coming over to hover in front of my face.

"Awesome!" I smiled. "Marinette's going to be so happy! Lead the way!"

"Okay, come on." Plagg told me, heading to the backroom. I frowned slightly, but followed him anyway. The room looked like a scene out of a horror movie, but I guess in some ways that's exactly what it was like. The image of Ladybug falling into my chest played in my mind again and I had to shake my head to bring myself back to the present time.

"Where's Tikki?" I asked, looking around to try and help Plagg find her.

"I'm working on it." Plagg sighed, flitting around the room until finally he called to me and told me that he'd found something.

"That's Marinette's bag." I said, stooping down to pick up the little pink purse. Normally I would never go through a woman's purse, but I figured that I could let it slide this time. I brought the bag with me to the other side of the room and set it down before I unclipped it and peered inside. "Great job Plagg!"

"Is it Tikki?" He asked, coming a little closer. I nodded and showed him that the tiny red and black kwami was sleeping soundly in Marinette's purse.

"Poor thing must be exhausted after what happened today." I frowned, closing the bag over again so Tikki would be safe until I got her back to Marinette. "Now, let's get out of here before Theo comes back."

"Sounds good to me." Plagg agreed. "Claws out?"

"Claws out!" I told him, waiting for my transformation to finish before I peeked my head outside. I left the building only when I saw that nobody was around to see me. Hopping from rooftop to rooftop with the help of my staff we made it back to the hospital in no time.

"Back so soon?" Marinette's nurse asked when she saw me walking past the nurse's station. I smiled slightly.

"Of course." I told her without stopping to make small talk. "She needed me to get her bag for her, that's the only reason I left."

"How sweet." One of the other nurses commented. I smiled at her politely and hurried along to Marinette's room. I knocked softly before I walked inside to find my favorite girl sleeping soundly in her bed.

"You don't have to worry anymore." I whispered to Marinette, unclipping her purse so I could open it a bit before carefully laying it down beside her head. I wanted Tikki to be the first thing she saw when she woke up so she would know that her little kwami was alright.

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 **A/N: Okay, so there's another chapter. I hope you liked it, I know a few of you were worried about Tikki! Let me know what you think in a review if you want to make my day! New chapter soon.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Tikki?" I heard Marinette mumble softly. The girl looked like she'd just woken up, but I couldn't be sure because I'd ended up falling asleep myself in the chair beside her bed.

"Marinette!" The little kwami smiled up at her, slowly hovering over to her. "I was so worried about you!" She chastised, pressing her cheek to Marinette's as if she were hugging her. Marinette smiled softly and held her close with her hand. "I'm sorry I couldn't hold your transformation when you got hurt."

"Don't even worry about that." Marinette shook her head. "I was worried about you too Tikki." She told the tiny kwami. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, you're one of my best friends." Marinette looked over at me then. "Thank you…. For bringing Tikki back to me."

"Anything for you." I smiled, trying to make her think it was no big deal for me. I didn't want her to know how much I'd hated having to face the room I'd almost lost her in all on my own. Of course I'd had Plagg with me, but he wasn't always the most supportive kwami in the world. "Is Tikki okay?"

"I'm okay." Tikki answered from her perch on Marinette's shoulder. "I'm just a little sore and I feel really drained…" The little kwami frowned a bit. "I don't think I'll be able to help Marinette transform for a little while, but it doesn't look like she's in any condition for that anyway."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want her to be fighting with a wound like that either." I agreed. "I guess I'll just need to do a better job of protecting her from now on." I let a small smile find its way onto my face. To be honest I'd always thought of my job as Ladybug's protector to be more of an honor than anything else, it definitely wasn't a burden in my eyes.

"At least for a little while." Tikki nodded, floating down onto Marinette's pillow as she yawned. "We can't have her getting hurt again." She said before curling into a little ball of red and black and closing her eyes. Marinette watched her for a few minutes, making sure the kwami was alright as she drifted off to sleep.

"I didn't mean to cause so much trouble." The girl frowned, her cheeks turning bright red as she directed her attention to chipping away at her nail polish. "I miscalculated… I thought I'd catch his Cataclysm with the chains and free you. I honestly don't know what happened."

"You made a mistake…" I tried, frowning a bit when Marinette's mood didn't improve. I hated seeing her be so down on herself. "It's okay Princess, nobody's mad at you." I told her, reaching over to cover her hands with my own. She looked up at me then, her wide eyes held a million unasked questions.

"Did you mean it?" She asked suddenly, her gaze only intensifying as my eyebrows knit together in confusion. Surely she wasn't questioning whether or not I was mad at her for getting hurt.

"Did I mean what?" I asked her, trying to think of anything I'd said to her that may have needed clarifying.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" She shifted in her bed, wincing at the pressure it put on her abdomen. "You were leaving to go find Tikki, but before you left you said you still love me." Her eyes pierced mine, daring me to look away. I knew better than to even try when she looked at me that way. "If you didn't mean it I want you to tell me right now. It's okay… I won't be mad."

"Marinette…" I shook my head and brought my hand up to cup her face, I could feel the smile forming on my face as I gently stroked her cheek with my thumb. "Have I ever lied to you? About anything at all?" I knew those words gave her the answer she needed, but still she searched my face for any hint that I was trying to trick her. I stayed still while she studied my face, I was trying to read her thoughts as she looked at me. I didn't have one clue as to what was running through her mind in that moment. "What are you thinking about?" I asked her after a few more minutes passed.

"Come closer..." She whispered, pulling me over to her by my shirt. Confused, I sat down beside her on the bed. I wasn't sure what she was trying to do, but I definitely wasn't expecting her to hook her arm around my neck so she could pull me down for a kiss. Surprised as I was, I didn't fight her, I melted into the kiss. Marinette's lips felt warm and soft against mine, her kiss was hesitant at first and innocently clumsy, but I relished every second of it. When Marinette finally pulled away she was breathing a little harder. I couldn't tell for sure whether it was a side effect of our kiss or if she genuinely needed to catch her breath after the strain sitting up like that had put on her body, but logic told me it was most likely the latter.

"Rest." I told her gently, making her lay back down on the bed. I kept one of her hands in mine drawing little circles on the top of it with my thumb.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, echoing my question from earlier. I sighed softly and pushed a piece of her hair out of her eyes.

"What about your crush?" I asked, hoping that she'd say he didn't matter anymore. I had to ask though, I wanted to be sure this was what she wanted before I selfishly let myself keep her.

"I choose you." She whispered, squeezing my hand the slightest bit. "And I know what you're thinking, but I didn't pick you just because you saved me. Besides, my crush doesn't even know I exist."

"Well your crush can't be very bright if that's true." I smiled for a second before remembering that this wasn't the part of the conversation I was supposed to be focused on. "Are you sure you choose me though? You don't even know who I am under the mask." I held my breath waiting for her answer. Despite the circumstances that had brought this topic up, if Marinette was sure this was truly what she wanted, she would in turn be giving me something I'd always dreamed of.

"I'm not ready to know who's under the mask yet. I don't want to know yet." Marinette told me honestly. I could respect that simple request for her as long as she needed me to. "I don't need to know who that person is in order to know what I feel in my heart. I know _you_ and that's enough for me right now."

"Well if you're sure this is what you want you already know how I feel about you my Princess." I smiled down at her then, she was starting to look tired again. "You know, I think I forgot to say this before, but thank you for saving me, Marinette."

"You're my partner." The girl yawned softly, closing her eyes. "I wasn't going to let Copycat hurt you." She said, cuddling up against my side. I smiled and shook my head as I watched her drift off to sleep with Tikki already fast asleep on the corner of her pillow. It seemed like a strange thought considering what brought us together, but I couldn't stop myself from wondering how I could have gotten lucky enough to finally be able to call her mine.

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 **A/N: I'm really sorry for not updating this in a really long time, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. I finally have an idea of what's going to happen in the next few chapters so I should be updating sometime within the near future. As always, thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Leave a review and let me know what you thought maybe? New chapter soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Marinette!" I smiled, my eyes lighting up as I looked up from my desk and saw her enter the classroom. Last night she'd told me as Cat Noir that she had to go back to school soon, but I didn't know that she'd meant this morning. I was happy to see her despite noticing she still had a slight limp and was walking with her arms wrapped protectively around her abdomen. Compared to how she looked a week ago, Marinette looked like she was ready to conquer the world again.

"Oh... uh... Hi Adrien." She smiled politely, but didn't pay me any more attention as she passed my desk and sat down in her normal spot beside Alya. I sighed softy, I knew she still had no idea that I was Cat Noir, but sometimes I had a hard time separating myself from the hero around her.

"Girl, where have you been!?" Alya asked, grabbing the girl by the shoulders and shaking her gently. I frowned slightly when I saw Marinette's breath hitch and her arms tighten ever so slightly around her waist as she tried to pretend the sudden motion hadn't caused her a great deal of pain. Being the stubborn girl I knew and loved, Marinette had been adamant that nobody besides the doctors and nurses who had been treating her could know about her accident. She even had me... well, she had Cat Noir... helping to ensure that her parents didn't find out what was going on. The girl had considered it pure luck that both of her parents had gone away for two weeks to attend a wedding that they were catering. The groom was an old friend of Marinette's father and had insisted that Tom and Sabine come out early to catch up before the rest of the guests had arrived. It wasn't that Marinette was trying to be sneaky, she just didn't want anyone to start asking questions and end up piecing things together. All the questions the hospital staff had started asking really freaked her out and I could understand why. Questions like: 'Why wasn't Ladybug there to help Cat Noir?' 'Why is Cat Noir so concerned with whether or not you get better?' 'What exactly were you doing that you were close enough to step in front of a Cataclysm?' didn't help anything. Marinette was terrified of her secret getting out, and because I'd promised her it was safe with me I helped her in whatever way she needed me to.

"Uh..." Marinette fumbled. Apparently she hadn't thought about what she was going to tell everyone at school when they started asking their own set of questions. Alya raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer from her friend. I chewed on my lip for a second, I couldn't just sit there and watch her burn.

"Hey, Alya, did you happen to have the answer to number 23 on our chemistry homework?" I interrupted, trying to buy Marinette some time to think. Though Adrien had never agreed to it out loud, he took protecting Marinette's secret just as importantly as Cat Noir did. I knew I'd made the right choice when I saw Marinette let out a small breath of relief as Alya turned her attention over to me.

"Number 23?" Alya asked, confirming the number as she unzipped her bag and pulled out a slightly wrinkled looking worksheet.

"Yeah, that one kind of stumped me." I added, shooting the girl one of my signature smiles in an attempt to maintain my innocence as she scanned the paper silently until she found the correct question.

"Oh..." Alya sighed before reading the question aloud. "What is the chemical composition of water?" She slowly brought her eyes up from the sheet of paper, scrutinizing me. I silently cursed myself for choosing such a trivial question especially because everyone knew I was great with chemistry. I had just made myself look like an idiot, but at least I'd taken Alya's attention off of Marinette for a few moments. "It's H2O..." She answered carefully, rereading the question to make sure it wasn't really a trick she'd missed. "Right?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought it was. I guess it's always the simple ones that get me." I laughed, trying to make light of the situation. "Thanks for your help." I added when I saw Alya was still looking at me as if I'd grown wings and sprouted a second head.

"Yeah, no problem Adrien..." She smiled, returning her homework to it's proper place in her backpack. " _Anyway..._ " Alya said, clapping her hands together as she turned her attention back to on her friend. "Girl, please tell me you've seen the latest scoop on the Ladyblog?!"

"Oh, uh... no, not yet. Sorry." Marinette tried to laugh but it sounded nervous and forced. "Why? What happened?" She asked carefully. Alya's expression turned serious then, she didn't mess around when it came to reporting on Ladybug.

"Theo Barbeau gave me an exclusive interview on what went down in his workshop last week!" Alya squealed, her excitement already starting to take over. The girl was too busy bouncing in her chair to notice Marinette's arms tighten protectively around her stomach, but I noticed. I was just as nervous as she was about what Theo had told Alya.

"Oh really? Wh... uh... What did he have to say about it?" The girl asked, she was trying her best to keep her composure, but her hands were starting shaking and the color had drained from her face. Alya didn't pause long enough to notice these changes in her friend either.

"So obviously Theo was akumatized because otherwise this wouldn't have even happened, but he got in a huge fight with Ladybug and Cat Noir! Now, that being said, he doesn't remember everything, but he knows Ladybug didn't purify his akuma..."

"Then how come he's not akumatized anymore?" I asked, trying to make sense of this from Cat Noir's point of view. Akuma's didn't just vanish into thin air. Alya rolled her eyes, apparently that little detail wasn't important to the story right this second.

"I don't know. He just said he wasn't angry at Cat Noir anymore and when his ring ran out his powers went away." She shrugged, letting it go easily.

"Uh huh..." I thought about that, glancing down at the Miraculous I wore on my finger. I wondered if something made Theo angry again if his powers would come back because Ladybug hadn't purified the akuma... I made a mental note to check up on that later.

"So anyway, back to the juicy stuff!" Alya declared. "Apparently, during the fight Ladybug got hurt protecting Cat Noir from a Cataclysm... You guys know Theo was Copycat right..." Alya didn't wait for me or Marinette to answer before continuing her story. "Get this! Ladybug took the hit for Cat Noir! How heroic is that?!"

"Don't you mean how stupid is that?" Chloe called from over at her desk where she had been filing her nails. "I mean come on! Nobody's even seen Ladybug since she got hurt. Does anybody even know if she's okay?" Chloe sighed and flipped her hair. "If you ask me she should have let Theo rip Cat Noir to shreds. Ladybug is way better off without that mangy alley cat."

"That's not true!" Marinette shot back without hesitating for even a fraction of a second. "Cat Noir is Ladybug's partner! She would never ever let anything bad happen to him and the same thing goes for the other way around! Ladybug can't do anything she does without Cat Noir by her side and that includes all the times she's saved you!" Marinette turned herself away from Chloe, clearly not interested in hearing anything that contradicted her beliefs about Cat Noir. "I mean wouldn't it make sense for her to want to keep him safe?" She asked, looking for some support on the issue. I smiled slightly thinking about how defensive she got trying to stand up for Cat Noir, it made me feel good to know I held such an important piece of her heart even if it was only as her partner for the time being.

"I think it makes a lot of sense Marinette." I offered when Alya's look made it seem like she was about to disagree.

"Please!" Chloe scoffed. "I bet that ridiculous sidekick _wanted_ Ladybug to get hurt." This comment struck a nerve with me, I would _never,_ not in a million years, wish for my partner to be hurt, never mind injured to the point where she almost lost her life.

"Chloe!" Marinette hissed, standing up and slamming her hands on the desk. "Cat Noir isn't a sidekick! He's Ladybug's _partner._ He's equally as important as Ladybug when it comes to the two of them saving the city!"

"Woah, calm down Marinette." Chloe plastered a truly evil grin on her face. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you have a thing for Cat Noir."

"You know what? That doesn't even matter right now, you guys can argue about Cat Noir later." Alya interrupted before Marinette had a chance to respond. In hindsight it was probably better that she had stepped in because Marinette was a terrible liar and she did in fact have 'a thing' for Cat Noir. "Now can you guys please focus on what I'm trying to tell you?!"

"Sorry Alya, go ahead." Marinette sighed, sitting back down so she could listen to the story Alya had been trying to tell her. Once she was settled, Alya leaned in closer to the two of us so Chloe wouldn't be able to hear, not that she was paying attention now that Sabrina had walked in.

"Theo Barbeau told me that he knows for a fact that Cat Noir knows who Ladybug is!" Alya balled her hands into fists, squealing in delight as she delivered this news. Of course Marinette had already known Cat Noir was in on her secret, but that hadn't prepared her for this new reality.

"Theo said..." Marinette squeaked out, her face going pale. She had done a complete one-eighty from a few moments ago when she was ready to literally knock some sense into Chloe. Alya mistook Marinette's reaction to be interest in what else she'd learned from this interview.

"I know! I was speechless at first too!" Alya gushed. "Apparently... and Theo couldn't remember this all that well because it happened while he was still being controlled by the akuma... but apparently when Ladybug took the hit for Cat Noir she lost her powers and collapsed." Images of that moment flashed through my head at a dizzying speed and it took all I had not to pull Marinette into my arms and hold her there were I knew she would be safe and protected.

"So does he know who she is?" I asked, holding my breath as I waited to see what Alya would have to say about this. In that moment I thought I had been quick enough to protect her, but now I wasn't so sure, I just hoped for Marinette's sake that I'd kept my promise to her. It felt like an eternity had gone by before Alya answered, and in that time I allowed myself a quick glance over at Marinette. The poor girl looked like she was going to burst into tears any second because she so terrified of what her best friend was about to say.

"He didn't see her face." Alya sighed, looking utterly disappointed. "Cat Noir made sure of that..."

"That's good news." Marinette sighed, letting out the breath she'd been holding since Alya brought up the detransformation.

"Are you kidding?" Alya cried, a look of indignation finding it's way onto her face. "Who's side are you on Marinette! I've been wanting to know who the girl behind that mask is since the first day she and Cat Noir showed up in the city! The people have a right to know who she is and I'm not going to rest until I get to tell them!" Alya's determination only seemed to make things worse for Marinette. I frowned slightly, I needed to say something to help put Marinette's mind at ease.

"Well it sounds to me like if Cat Noir went through all the trouble of keeping Ladybug's identity a secret in the first place he isn't going to give up the information just because you ask him nicely." I crossed my arms, not daring to look at Marinette. "I mean I'm pretty sure Ladybug's identity being a secret means a great deal to her... as her partner Cat Noir would respect her enough to keep that secret safe."

"Well we're just going to have to see about that!" Alya grinned. I didn't like the look on her face one bit. "Think about it Adrien! I am this close to finding out who the girl behind the mask is!" Alya held up two fingers, squeezing them so close together that there was barely even a space. "I'm not going to stop trying until Cat Noir tells me who Ladybug is."

"And what if he won't tell you? Then what?" I asked, trying to convince her that her plan was never going to work. I knew for a fact that it was never going to work. Alya simply shrugged and shook her head.

"He's eventually going to lead me right to her." Alya declared matter-of-factly. "Theo says that Cat Noir is in love with Ladybug and that she loves him back. I know that's gotta be true because she wouldn't have risked her life for him if she didn't! If they were nothing more than good partners she would have let him take the hit, purified Theo's akuma, and then worried about getting Cat Noir to the hospital. She didn't do that. She risked everything for him... because she loves him." Alya paused for a moment and smiled, shaking her head again. "I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there's a broken civilian girl sitting in a hospital somewhere with Cat Noir by her side _right_ now. I bet if I really tried I could probably find something out if I investigated that idea..."

"I..." Marinette stood up, she looked like she was going to be sick. Alya and I both frowned and looked up at her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Alya asked, placing her hand on Marinette's forearm, watching the girl shake her head, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks at any moment. I felt terrible for not noticing Marinette getting more and more upset while Alya and I bantered. I mean it wasn't hard to guess the reason why. Just as Alya had guessed, Cat Noir _had_ been sitting in some hospital with a broken civilian girl all week. The only thing Alya hadn't said yet was that the girl was in fact Marinette... was _Ladybug_. All Alya needed to do was put two and two together and Marinette knew that her best friend wasn't stupid, it was only a matter of time now.

"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling very well..." Marinette whispered, putting her head down in an attempt to hide her tears from us as she hurried out of the classroom.

* * *

 **A/N: Big shout out to all of you who reviewed while I was taking an incredibly long (and uncalled for) break on this story. Each and every one of your nice comments is the reason I'm updating this now. I was sort of feeling like nobody liked this story anymore, but you all changed my mind. Thank you so much! I promise I'll update again soon. I already have a good part of the next chapter written out. As always I'm glad you're actually enjoying this and I'd love to see your reviews if you feel like leaving one for me!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Is she okay?" Alya asked, she seemed to be really confused as to why Marinette had acted the way she did. "I don't know what I said…"

"I don't know…" I lied, slowly standing up. "I'm going to go check on her." I told her, getting ready to leave when Alya stopped me.

"Adrien, wait… she's my best friend, I should be the one to go talk to her." Alya stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. I frowned slightly, trying to think of any reason I could actually tell Alya as to why that wouldn't be a good idea.

"I don't know Alya, if she's upset with you it might not be a good idea. I'll go talk to her and make sure she's okay… I'll even tell her you were concerned about her if it'll make you feel better."

"Uh…" Alya was about to protest, but I didn't give her a chance to as I hurried to the door.

"Everything's going to be fine!" I called over to her just as I walked out. Once I was sure Alya hadn't followed me into the hallway I let out a sigh of relief and turned my attention to the task at hand. "Marinette!?" I called out, waiting for any sign that would clue me in on where the girl had disappeared to. After a few moments of silence passed I walked further down the hall and called her name again. "Marinette?!" Another minute or two passed before the girl emerged from the bathroom with puffy eyes and a rather red looking face.

"Just leave me alone okay?" She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, clinging to it with both hands as she started limping towards the door as quickly as she could manage.

"I just want to talk." I told her, catching up easily. She stopped then, turning to look at me with pain in her eyes.

"Adrien, you wouldn't understand." She told me, her eyes tearing up again. "Nobody is ever going to understand!" She yelled, her voice breaking a bit. The girl turned away from me then, but instead of hurrying out of the school like she'd been trying to, she leaned back against the wall and buried her face in her hands, slowly letting herself sink to the floor.

"Then make me understand." I whispered, crouching down beside her.

"I can't." Marinette sniffled, looking up at me with piercing blue eyes, she looked absolutely devastated. I sighed softly, I already knew she wouldn't tell me, but I knew someone she would... I just couldn't bring myself to leave her so I could transform while she was so upset.

"Marinette, it's okay." I said softly, gently pulling her close to me. After spending the past few days in the hospital with her as Cat Noir I had grown accustomed to the comfortable feeling of having her so close to me, I knew she was protected when she was wrapped up in my arms. "Everything is going to be fine, I promise." I whispered into her hair, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

"Adrien…" Marienette stiffened, pushing me away from her. I frowned when I saw that she looked angry at me, I quickly realized I'd made a mistake by trying to comfort her without my mask on. "Why are you acting so weird today!?"

"I… I'm sorry Mari-" I stammered, I could feel the heat coloring my cheeks as the girl shook her head at me. "I was just trying to-"

"Please stop." She whispered, squeezing her eyes tight as she drew in a deep breath and let it out. "Adrien, I liked you… a lot." She told me, her voice weighted down by a thousand different emotions. "I wanted so badly for you to notice me and to tell me that you liked me too, but you never did and now it's too late. I have a boyfriend now... He's really sweet and he makes me so happy." A small smile tugged on the corners of her lips as she thought about Cat Noir, but it didn't stay for long as she brought her attention back to me. "I refuse to hurt him by letting myself wonder what could have happened if I'd known you liked me back. I chose him Adrien, so please just leave it at that." Marinette frowned and walked the rest of the distance to the front door before looking at me. "Tell Alya I'm sorry I left the way I did, I'll call her later." Without another word she walked out of the school not giving me a second glance as I watched her out the window.

"Well that went well." Plagg smirked as he flew out of my pocket, it looked like he was about to make another snarky comment but stopped himself when he saw the hurt look on my face. I had no idea that Marinette felt the way she did about me. "Cheer up kid, at least you know she's not going to cheat on you with Adrien… or would it be with Cat Noir? What's the protocol on these things nowadays?"

"Plagg!" I snapped, glaring at him as I shook my head. "All this time I have been so obsessed with trying to figure out who the girl wearing the mask was that I didn't realize I was breaking her heart while she wasn't wearing it." I squeezed my eyes shut, I felt like a huge jerk. "Did you know?"

"Did I know what?" Plagg asked. My eyes flew open, staring daggers at my Kwami.

"Did. You. Know." I repeated flatly, I knew he understood what I was asking.

"That Marinette liked you as Adrien?" The little Kwami asked, clarifying so he would know we were both on the same page. "Yeah, I knew." Plagg sighed. "I tried telling you a long time ago, but you were too smitten with Ladybug to care about Marinette." Plagg shrugged, acting really nonchalant about topic. "I mean I knew you'd both end up happy eventually, so why rush it?"

"Because waiting hurt her Plagg!" I ran my hands through my hair, pacing back and forth right there in the hallway. "She chose me over me because she thought I didn't like her back! Turns out I _did_ like her back and you knew it the whole time! Why wouldn't you have told me how stupid I was acting!?"

"You're acting stupid now!" Plagg pointed out. "I mean, instead of standing here arguing with me about what I did or didn't tell you, why don't you go find her? She needs Cat Noir right now."

"You know, I hate it when you're right." I sighed, checking to make sure the coast was still clear. "Plagg, Claws Out!" I yelled, waiting until I was fully transformed before I took off in search of Marinette. I searched in all of her favorite places: the fountain in the park, the Eiffel Tower, the place where she would go to watch the pigeons when she needed to think, but she wasn't at any of those places. I ended up finding her by accident about an hour and a half later when I went to sit on her balcony and saw her through the window. My heart broke as I saw her laying on her bed with her face buried into her pillow, tiny sobs shaking her whole body. Tikki was trying to console her, but the frown on her tiny face told me that nothing she said was helping. I sighed softly and tapped on the glass before letting myself in through the trapped-door window. "Princess?" I whispered, going over to sit on the edge of her bed. I waited patiently for a while, and eventually Marinette sat up, wiping her eyes on her sleeve before she allowed herself to look at me.

"Cat Noir..." She sniffled softly, I could already hear the relief in her voice as she said my name.

"Bad day, My Lady?" I asked as I moved so I was leaning up against the headboard beside her

"You could say that." She sniffled, leaning her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her, letting her snuggle up against me so she could tell me what had gone wrong. "Alya, the girl from the Ladyblog, is going to try to get you to tell her my secret. Theo told her you know who I am."

"Marinette, I swear there is nothing in this world that would ever get me to betray your trust like that. I promise you that your secret is safe with me." I held her a little bit tighter in an attempt to get her to really understand the conviction my promise held.

"I guess it doesn't matter." Marinette sighed and looked at me. "Alya already has a few plans on how she's going to find out who I really am without you telling her. Good plans."

"Oh…" I said, trying to maintain some level of innocence here. There was no way Cat Noir would know anything about Alya's plans.

"One of her plans is to try and find out what hospital you took me… well I guess it would be Ladybug to and then simply ask the nurses who's room you spent time in. If that doesn't work she's just going to follow you around until she catches us together."

"Hmm…" I thought for a moment. "Well, her first plan won't work because of doctor-patient confidentiality agreements, so you're safe there…" I trailed off, seriously thinking about my next words before I said them out loud. I wanted to tell her that I could just let her in on my own identity, but I didn't know how she would react given what had happened between us… her and Adrien… earlier.

"What is it Kitty?" She asked, sensing that I had something on my mind. I shook my head, laughing a bit… she knew me all too well.

"Well, I was going to say that I could tell you my everyday identity. That way Ladybug could be with Cat Noir, and Marinette could be with… the other me. That way we wouldn't have to worry about anything like being followed or having people ask why they saw Cat Noir kissing two different girls." I felt a deep blush color my cheeks as I remembered what had happened earlier today when Adrien had kissed Marinette's hair. "I think if I told you who I really am under the mask it would explain a lot of things to you."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Marinette asked, looking up at me with a thousand questions in her deep blue eyes.

"Because you already know who I am My Lady." I whispered gently. I didn't want to tell her who I was if she wasn't ready, but I didn't want to have her icing me out all day as Adrien either. I really wasn't trying to hurt her today and I needed her to know that.

"I do?" She asked, looking really surprised. "I don't think I know anyone besides you who spews stupid cat jokes all day long." She elbowed me playfully, a real smile finding its way onto her face for the first time in a while.

"Well, I usually save those just for you." I teased.

"Aww, so sweet." She giggled, leaning over to kiss my cheek. "Answer me this one question though… Why is it so important to you that you tell me who you are?"

"Because I trust you." I told her, my voice holding an emotion I couldn't place. "I feel like I'm lying to you by not being able to be completely honest with you one hundred percent of the time." Marinette studied my face for a long moment, her expression softening after a little time had passed.

"This really means a lot to you..." Marinette whispered. I nodded, feeling a lump starting to form in my throat, suddenly I felt nerves starting to bubble up in the pit of my stomach.

"Yes."

"Okay then." Marinette whispered, pulling me tight against her in a tight hug. "You can tell me." I nodded and laced my arms around her neck and rested my forehead against hers, my heart was beating so hard I thought it might actually beat out of my chest if I waited much longer.

"Can I have one kiss first though?" I asked shyly. "You know, for just in case?" I asked, my cheeks turning pink as soon as the words were out.

"Just in case?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"In case you don't want to be with me anymore afterwards…" I whispered.

"Kitty, you really don't have anything to worry about…" She told me, closing her eyes as she tilted her head slightly to the left and leaned towards me. In the millisecond it took for our lips to meet I told Plagg to let me detransform. My heart skipped a beat as I felt myself shift back into Adrien in the middle of the kiss. Part of me wanted to stay where I was with my lips pressed against Marinette's for as long as she would allow, but another part of me knew it wasn't fair to allow myself this luxury at her expense. With some effort, I pulled myself away from her and opened my eyes.

"Are you sure?" Marinette asked, sitting across from me with her eyes still shut tight. I took one of her hands in mine and took a deep breath.

"Open your eyes." I told her, watching as her eyelids slowly fluttered open.

"A…Adrien." She breathed, a look of utter shock crossing her face. I couldn't tell whether her reaction was good or bad and it was eating me alive.

"Are you upset?" I asked, holding my breath as I waited for what seemed like an eternity for her to answer.


	7. Chapter 7

"Say something... anything..." I begged. "Marinette, please." I felt tears stinging at my eyes and I knew my hands were shaking, but there was nothing I could do to calm myself down as I waited for whatever happened next.

"Adrien…" Marinette whispered slowly, her voice barely audible as she searched for the words she wanted to say. I held my breath as I waited for her to decide what she wanted, each passing second making me feel more and more hopeless. It felt like an eternity had passed before Marinette wrapped me up in her arms and pulled me close to her. "I'm not upset with you." She told me with a sense of confident finality as she held me there, rubbing my back as she tried to comfort me. The emotion I felt running through me as she sat there hugging me finally proved to be too much and my tears spilled over, each of them leaving behind wet spots on Marinette's shoulder.

"I was so afraid you wouldn't want me anymore... especially after what happened between us this morning." I sniffled as I clung tightly to her… it was almost as if I was trying to make sure she wasn't going to change her mind and leave. I was mortified to be sitting here crying on her shoulder, but so far there had been an overwhelming pattern of the people I cared about most in my life either leaving or pretending I didn't exist unless it benefited them in some twisted way. I didn't want to add Ladybug or Marinette's name to that list of people.

"Adrien, listen to me." The girl leaned away from me just enough so that she could cup my face in her hands. I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment as she wiped my tears away with her thumbs. "I only said what I did earlier today because I didn't know that you were Cat Noir. I didn't want to hurt him by letting myself be so close to you." Marinette smiled softly then, reaching over to her nightstand to hand me a box of tissues. "I want you to know that I will _always_ want you, whether it's as my friend, my partner, or as my boyfriend…" It was Marinette's turn to blush as she said that last part out loud.

"How did this black cat ever get lucky enough to call you mine?" I teased, my smile brightening a little more when I saw how happy Marinette looked. She smiled at me for a second before leaning in and kissing me sweetly. I let myself melt into her kiss, my hand finding its way up to rest on her cheek. When we finally broke the kiss and she pulled back to look at me, her face was as bright red as her Ladybug suit. I laughed at how utterly adorable she looked, I couldn't think of one thing I disliked about the girl.

"I'm so glad I get to keep you both." Marinette whispered, a huge grin still plastered on her face despite the blush."

"I am too." I whispered back as I pushed a piece of bluish-black her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it was you I was after all along."

"It's okay, I took just as long." The girl teased, she was about to say something else when suddenly her cellphone rang. Marinette frowned and reached over me to get it, scrunching her face up when she saw her best friend's face lit up on the screen.

"You can't avoid her forever." I told her gently, resting my hand on her shoulder for support. Marinette nodded and took a deep breath before she tapped the phone and brought it up to her ear. "Heeey, Alya." She laughed nervously. "I totally meant to call you back-"

"Uh huh." Alya brushed Marinette's excuse off without thinking much about it, I could hear just from the sound of her voice that she had something more important on her mind. "Are you home?"

"Uh… yeah, I'm home." Marinette frowned, chewing on her lip as she stood up and went over to look out the window. "Why? Is everything okay?"

"I'm not really sure… that's why we need to talk. I'm outside your house right now, I'll be up in a minute!" Before Marinette had a chance to protest, Alya had hung up and was probably already using the key Marinette had given her for emergencies to let herself in.

"Is everything okay Mari?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her as she trudged over to her bed and plopped down, face first, on the mattress.

"Ow." She groaned, sitting up and holding her stomach. "No plopping." She reminded herself before looking back up at me, trying to mask the fear in her eyes. "Alya says she has to talk to me about something..."

"Maybe she wants to talk about why you left school the way you did this morning? I mean she _is_ your best friend, she's probably worried about you." I frowned, wishing there was something I could do to help my girlfriend feel better. Marinette sighed, thinking for a minute.

"Well, I guess that makes sense, but I still have a bad feeling about this."

"Do you want me to go?" I asked as the sound of Alya climbing upstairs grew louder. Marinette looked torn.

"Not really, but it's going to be awfully hard to explain why you're up here so maybe you'd better go. Just for now at least."

"I'll stay close." I promised Marinette, kissing her head before I slipped out onto her balcony just as Alya burst into her room.

"Alya!" Marinette laughed nervously. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to ask you something…" The girl answered, almost unsure of herself as she rolled Marinette's desk chair over and sat down.

"Sure…" Marinette answered, both nervous and concerned by the look on her friend's face. Alya sighed, shaking her head the slightest bit.

"Mari, you're my best friend in the entire world, so I want you to know that whatever we talk about in this room today is going to stay in here."

"Oh…" That was the only thing Marinette could think to say as a response, she wasn't sure she liked the way this was headed.

"Okay... I'm just going to lay it all out there and see what you have to say about it." Alya took a deep breath. "So, after school I went to the hospital… the one closest to Theo's workshop… and I talked to some of the nurses there. At first I didn't think it was going to be much help because the nurses couldn't give me any information because of some weird patient/doctor rules, but it turns out the lady at the front desk was really helpful. She saw me coming back downstairs only a few minutes after I'd gone in and thought I'd gotten lost or something, so I told her why I was there…" Alya paused for a moment, picking invisible pieces of lint off of her pants before looking back up at her friend. "Marinette, she told me that Cat Noir had been there looking for you…"

"I can… explain." Marinette told her weakly. Alya held a hand up, shaking her head at Marinette.

"No more lies." Alya told her firmly. "Don't think I didn't notice you hobbling around today girl. Ladybug got hurt a week ago and nobody has seen her since… is it just some freaky coincidence that you just so happened to be out of school for no good reason all week too?"

"Alya..."

"Girl, I've never seen you and Ladybug in the same place at the same time. What's going on?" Alya looked so sure of herself, but her confidence only made Marinette feel sick to her stomach.

"I…" Marinette looked away from Alya, biting back tears that threatened to spill over.

"Marinette, you can trust me." Alya reassured her, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. For a long time neither of them said anything. Marinette wasn't ready to tell Alya, and Alya wasn't leaving until she did. "Are you Ladybug?" Alya finally asked, her words hanging heavily in the air. Marinette opened her mouth to say something, but instead of words all that came out was a choked sob. Alya's eyes widened at her friends reaction, hurrying to pull her into a tight hug. "Mari, it's okay." She whispered.

"I… I'm…" Marinette shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Why is everything falling apart?" She sobbed into her friend's shoulder.

"Marinette what on Earth are you talking about?" Alya asked softly, patting the girl's back as she tried to comfort her. Marinette shook her head and looked up at Alya through puffy, red eyes.

"I'm Ladybug." She sniffled. "I never wanted anyone to find out! Cat Noir didn't even know until last week when I tried to save him."

"Girl, everything's going to be okay. I can see this secret means a lot to you, so I'm not going to tell anyone. Like I said when I first walked in here whatever we talk about in this room today is going to stay in here."

"Thanks Alya…" Marinette sniffled.

"Sure, no problem." Alya told her. "I do have a few questions though."


End file.
